Fulham have reportedly turned down a fresh £50 million bid from West Ham United for midfield destroyer Joao Palhinha.
West Ham United already had a £45 million bid rejected by Fulham for Joao Palhinha last week before coming back with a new and improved offer worth £50 million, only to suffer the same fate. That is according to 90min, who say the Cottagers are demanding in excess of £60 million to let the Portugal international leave — a player whom they bought for just £20 million a year ago.
Following the departure of star midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal, there is a lot of work to be done for David Moyes as the Irons look to source a capable replacement. The England international made the switch to the Emirates in a British record £105 million transfer deal, giving West Ham a huge financial windfall but also a glaring squad problem to solve.
Without any further reinforcement in the engine room, and the start of the Premier League season just a few weeks away now, Moyes will be left with just Tomas Soucek and Flynn Downes as his central midfield options. So there is a case to argue that they will need two midfielders through the door at the London Stadium following Soucek’s underperformance in the last couple of seasons.
As such, the Hammers have identified Palhinha as a potential replacement for Rice after the excellent debut season he had in the Premier League with Fulham last time out. The 28-year-old would be a very solid addition, is a very competent central midfielder, and had more tackles and interceptions than anyone else in the Premier League last season.
However, Marco Silva’s side are demanding over £60 million in order to sell Palhinha, with the Hammers unwilling to go any higher than the £50 million they have lodged. Furthermore, the Portuguese enforcer was left in a heap clutching his dislocated shoulder during the friendly against Brentford and forced back to the dressing room.
The length of the injury is not known yet, but manager Silva did confirm the injury “did not look good”, with his arm in a makeshift sling. That could well have a knock-on effect on West Ham’s summer recruitment plans, should the layoff extend beyond the start of the season. For as good an addition Palhinha would be, spending half of the Declan Rice money on a 28-year-old who would miss a chunk of next season is not really that smart an investment.
The Hammers cannot afford to waste time negotiating for the Portuguese international if this injury scare is serious one. To that end, there have been a fair few star midfielders linked with a move to the London Stadium, notably Switzerland international Denis Zakaria, Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka, and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.
However, Ajax’s midfield maestro Edson Alvarez seems to be the next option on West Ham’s shortlist, with the Irons said to be confident of sealing the Ajax midfielder’s signature for £35–40 million this summer.
